Koyote snapped his fingers.
A long wooden table and three simple chairs appeared from thin air, placed perfectly on the swirling floor of the dream realm. No throne. No grand podium. Just chairs.
He sat down first.
Koyote (smiling):
"Here, I am not a god... but a friend. Let's begin by introducing ourselves."
A man with silver streaks in his beard stood up, gaze steady.
???:
"Raphael Vinston. Former king of the Crescent Kingdom.
Tier 5, Soldier Pathway."
He sat back down, voice tightening with buried grief.
Raphael:
"Years ago, a being descended from another world.
He brought with him... abnormalities. Unnaturalities.
Chaos followed. A meteor crashed into Mount Crescent.
My kingdom burned that day."
Koyote's throat went dry.
He swallowed, forcing a chuckle that didn't feel real.
("That... wasn't me. Right?")
Before the silence could thicken, a girl raised her hand.
???:
"Mei Xiao."
Koyote flinched.
The name echoed like a wrong note in a perfect song.
Koyote's eyes widened, but he quickly masked his reaction.
A Chinese name… here?
> ("That shouldn't be possible. She's like me...?")
He cleared his throat and stood, a sly grin creeping onto his face, though his mind raced behind it.
> Koyote (calmly):
"Very well. I have a test for the both of you—
A small one, to see if you're worthy of being my subordinates."
A faint purple glow swirled behind his back as he raised a hand, a glimmering map materializing in the dreamscape.
> Koyote:
"There's a city. Godwin. In the Lunefall Region.
There, you will find a young man... Koyote Heraclides."
He smirked knowingly.
> "He might just be the key to your fate.
A hint is enough for brilliant minds, isn't it?"
He turned away slowly, his halo dimming as he walked into the mist.
> Koyote (fading voice):
"Farewell, said the Dreamweaver."
---
As silence fell, Raphael and Mei glanced at each other.
> Raphael (muttering):
"No throne. No power display. And yet... he felt like a storm wrapped in silence."
> Mei (softly):
"He didn't even blink when I gave my name... But he flinched.
Was it fear? Recognition?"
They sat quietly, both trying to piece together the strange puzzle that had just spoken to them like a friend... but held the presence of something far greater.
Then, just as suddenly as it had begun, the Dream Banquet faded.
The table vanished. The starry void cracked like glass.
And the real world pulled them back.
---